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Ara
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Ursa major constellation illustration art. (Big Dipper) stars, space, night sky)
Stars: Explosions in Space
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Latin:
“Altar”
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Ara

constellation
Written by
Erik Gregersen
Erik Gregersen is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, specializing in the physical sciences and technology. Before joining Britannica in 2007, he worked at the University of Chicago Press on the...
Erik Gregersen
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Ara, constellation in the southern sky, at about 17 hours right ascension and 55° south in declination. Ara has no bright stars; the brightest, Beta Arae, has a visual magnitude of 2.83. The constellation represents the altar on which Zeus and other Greek gods swore their allegiance before their war with the Titans.

Erik Gregersen
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